Rate My Professor Jessica Sullivan

Dr. Jessica Sullivan serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy within Central Michigan University’s Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions. She holds a Doctor of Health Science (DHSc) and a Graduate Certificate in Health Professions Education, both earned from the University of Indianapolis in 2023. Additionally, she obtained her Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) from Central Michigan University in 2013 and a Bachelor of Science degree from the same university in 2010. As a licensed physical therapist in Michigan, Dr. Sullivan is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and its Michigan chapter, APTA Michigan. She contributes to clinical practice at the Carls Center Physical Therapy Clinic, where she treats orthopedic and neurological conditions across all age groups, with particular expertise in vestibular conditions.

In her teaching role, Dr. Sullivan instructs a variety of courses in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, including PTH 633: Clinical Education I, PTH 635: Examination and Diagnosis I, PTH 646: Therapeutic Interventions I, PTH 661: Manual Therapy I, PTH 695: Ethics in Physical Therapy, PTH 735: Examination and Diagnosis III, and PTH 745: Therapeutic Interventions II. Her scholarly interests focus on fostering clinical reasoning development among physical therapy students through innovative simulation methods, such as educational escape rooms. She also investigates the impacts of hippotherapy on sensory information processing and balance in individuals with multiple sclerosis, alongside topics in rural health, vestibular rehabilitation, and clinical reasoning in physical therapy practice. Notable publications co-authored by Dr. Sullivan include “An educational escape room’s influence on physical therapy students’ perception of clinical reasoning development: A qualitative study,” accepted for publication in Simulation in Healthcare and available online since March 6, 2025, and “Does hippotherapy effect use of sensory information for balance in people with multiple sclerosis,” published in Physiotherapy Theory and Practice in 2015.